Art Essay

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Introduction

Claude Monet STRUCTURAL FRAME o Artworks were solid and reflective --> Monet interested in reflections. Pushed him further. Eg. water reflections o Impressionism --> heavily influenced by Japanese art. Due to technology he found out about them. Looked at artifacts and loved it because it was different. o Western art - Realism o Reject the rectangular formation - used squares and circle canvas. --> Composition in a conventional way. Different to his time as everyone used rectangles. o Created workshops/studios next to lake or piece if land he was painting. o Purchases a whole lot of land (at least an acre) so he can create his own landscape to paint. SUBJECTIVE FRAME o Water Lillie's: looks at paint and qualities of paint, moves, and atmosphere. Interested in how do we look and see things. o Artworks were solid and reflective --> Monet interested in reflections. Pushed him further. Eg. water reflections o Influenced by Japanese wood cut prints - flat layers sitting on top of each other --> new way of looking at art, of valuing it. --> Japanese valued their landscape (loved the colour) --> Monet was interested in landscape. o Monet was influenced by the Japanese through their technique and subject matter (Japanese Gardens). o Stops just looking at light and looks at atmosphere --> meditation & spiritual connections. POST MODERN FRAME o Impressionism: photo's came out and questions the role of the artist --> documenting historical values (painting = one off, camera = many replicas). --> Camera destabilizes the artist's and what they're meant to be. Use to be very representational. --> People had certain speculations about how the movement worked (eg. horse's legs all in the air when really 2 by 2). --> Picasso's predecessor was Cezanne - viewing the one object at different views at different times. Looks at colour & tone. Art isn't about what you see (representation); it begins to be about the artist's motives as well. ...read more.

Middle

o The work itself is a film (not a traditional art medium) and the impact of the audience of this medium is far more elaborate and sophisticated in reference to emotion. o The racial references inform the audiences of the artist's subjective experiences as well as a generation's experience by making sub minimal references to political issues of the black and white debate/related issues. o The work reflects a loss of innocence, a sense of isolation and dysfunction. o The memories of the younger woman share her struggles to escape her life's situation, her lack of identity or relationship to her indigenous culture. o In the beach scene we see her being strangled by seaweed come film - possibly symbolizing her memories constantly being returned and how technology is used to record history. o Introduces the Post Modern concept of history being a subjective rather than objective record of events. CULTURAL FRAME o Aboriginality - lack of connection. o White Australia - its political persuasions, values and baggage. o Religious beliefs - in particular Christianity. o Deals with time and history. o Symbolic use of Christian issues. --> Washing of feet (like Jesus wiping feet of disciples) --> "Onward Christian Soldiers" hymn. The impacts of Christianity on indigenous cultures but more specifically on the individual. --> The value of the individual - compassion o Cultural icons - the squeaky farmhouse door. --> The corrugated iron outdoor toilet o Lack of intimacy between the two characters - possibly reflects same in racial black and white relationships on political front. o Emptiness of religion - broken promises of the Church. o Empty life echoed in the setting. o Guilt and condemnation for feeling of resentment to mother - issues of caring for the elderly --> burden. o Deals with ideas on death --> Physical, spiritual, mental etc. ARTIST PRACTICE o Media - Film, colour (19 minutes) ...read more.

Conclusion

o Experiments with combining the effects of electronic sound with architectural space in order to combine the video's properties with his own emotions and personal experiences. --> Explore show integral sound is to the perception of space. o He uses universal symbols used in beliefs --> water, fire and wind. o Simplicity in the presentation but a very complex thinking process - deep meaning --> putting too much on the artwork restricts the meaning. o Works very gradual: - distorting sense of space - you don't realize how big things are until the end - manipulating, consumes the audience into his works then overwhelming them --> (The Messenger) o Works done in a loop - life and cycle. o Water - cleanse --> is the person stuck in a better place? THE MESSENGER (ARTWORK) o Distorted image in dark atmosphere with little spotlight --> looks like its floating. o Windy and strong gustily, whispery noises. o Human figure (recognisable but distorted still) o Image becomes clearer and body moves closer to focus --> a make head bopping up and down the surface of the water. o Darkness consumes background and focus is centered yet smaller scale than the darkness which surrounds it. o Slowly zooms into top half of body's figure --> image distorts and face emerges from water still floating - eyes open, mouth open, a gasp of air? --> Music helps give a sense of relief is consumed and human flesh colour emerges. o Music becomes soft and a little hollow and face floats on surface - sounds like heavy breathing being breathed under water. o After two minutes body floats under water again. Colours turn blue, cyan, green and flesh colour disappears. --> life disappears. Eyes are closed. o Body starts zooming out showing more of the whole body again. o Bubbles emerge from under the water to surface --> drowning assumption? o As body zooms away from focus, image distorts but area with face is filled with bubbles --> music becomes softer and almost silent. o Darkness ...read more.

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